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I laughed, ood news, and started to text hi A picture of Hawke and me came up on my screen It was taken just last week at The Fox and Hound by Avery I had been sitting on Hawke's lap while we all sat around, had drinks, and reconnected with one another His bearded cheek pressed to mine, our arms wrapped around each other Happy, happy smiles on our faces

I answered with barely contained glee "Shrinkage!"

"A," he said

He asked for details

I told him what I knew

He asked to talk to my dad, so I shoved the phone into the curtain of the tiny roo dressed and listened to the one-sided conversation he had with Hawke It made my heart about burst

When I got back on the phone with hi for ame And dress warm"

So I did After my dad and I went out for a celebratory early ame on TV I even let my dad have a beer--he deserved it--and we cheered and yelled for the Cold Fury I cheered especially hard for Hawke, especially when he got into a fight with a Mustang defensereat and powerful Hawke Therrien The h the TV to kick his ass He did and it orth the five-ot

Watching that lorious I have such pride in what he does, how far he's co on the ice, and looked even better when he walked across the lot toward er when he was halfway and I went to meet him His hand went behind my head, his mouth to mine, and he kissed me hello

"Great game," I whispered as he pulled back

"Fuck that," he said with a se"

So we got in his car after he threw his gear bag in the trunk I saw a small cooler in there and raised an eyebrow in question, but he merely said, "It's a surprise"

So I waited

Hawke intriguesthe Aviation Parkway exit toward the airport It's late and there's little traffic His right hand co inof curiosity?"

"A little," I say primly, but I'm truly puzzled

"You hate surprises," he says

"No I don't," I tell him quickly "I used to hate surprises, but now I find they appeal to me"

"Liar," he says in a low ru voice that makes my blood hum

As the airport loo and the traffic control tower blinking its steady red lights, Hawke turns on his turn signal To the left and right of the parkway sit large reen hills and tall, y pine trees He slows and turns onto a dirt road that I had never noticed before, not that I've been this way much Just the handful of times I've traveled with the team by plane

He never says a word and neither do I as we bounce along for about two hundred yards, around a bend that shields us fro by the water Loing azaleas, holly, and cae, the glow from the airport reflected therein

"This is beautiful," I whisper as Hawke brings his car to a halt, puts it in park, and kills the engine With the headlights extinguished, the darkness engulfs us and I feel truly secluded

Hawke gets out of the car and I folloatch as he pulls the cooler fro with two blankets It's crisp outside,that would require a coat A Nova Scotian wouldn't dare think of wearing a coat in this ood with my jeans and sweater

"A picnic?" I ask curiously as Hawke spreads one blanket on the grass and kneels on it He tosses the other down and opens the cooler

"Sort of," he says with a grin as he pulls out a bottle of cha Dave's success was in order tonight Don't you think?"

"Totally agree," I say as I drop to my knees on the blanket beside him